<p>I got into Penn today and am struggling to decide between UMich honors and Penn. I love Ann Arbor and the athletics and atmosphere at michigan and while the academics seem great it seems awfully hard to turn down Penn. Umich just seems like it is so much fun along with being great academics. What should i do?</p>
<p>Did you get any money from Michigan? I got accepted at Columbia in addition to Michigan Honors program. Michigan is throwing $$$ at me while Columbia will put a strain on my family finances. Michigan Honors wins it out for me.</p>
<p>Go to Umich. I went to Berkeley, c/o 2000 and the U Mich for grad school. (I'm here because this website was written up the NYTimes today and I think it's pretty funny; otherwise it would be sort of creepy that I'm here). In any case, college is all about atmosphere and, having lived in lots of cities and towns around the world, I can tell you that Ann Arbor is a fabulous place to be, totally happening, and (most importantly), it is unpretentious -- and THAT is what you should be looking for in a college. Have fun!</p>
<p>Unless money is really an issue, and Penn gave you some money, I think Penn wins out.</p>
<p>Penn and Michigan are peers academically speeking. They have the exact same peer assessment score in fact. Go with the school you feel more at home with. I personally chose Michigan over Penn because I felt more at home in Ann Arbor.</p>
<p>collegeguy, if you decide to go to Penn simply because it's "hard to turn down Penn", I can state for a fact that you won't be as happy there as at Michigan. You gave us a good reason for going to Michigan (the atmosphere was fun to you), and a really crappy reason for going to Penn (for some reason it's "hard to turn down"). I personally know two girls, sisters. Both got into uMich honors and Penn. They were both in your situation. Michigan seemed fun but Penn had a bigger name to them. One went to Michigan and had an awesome time, did very well for herself, and is now a successful doctor. The other sister is a junior at Penn and constantly complains to me that she doesn't belong there and doesn't fit it but is too lazy to transfer. I know this is just one case, but college is not about a name, it's about expanding your mind (which you can do equally well at either university, as Alexandre said), and having a great time (which most everyone would agree you will do more at Michigan).</p>
<p>If you're confident that you'll be happier at one than the other, go to that one. Both schools will open up great opportunities for you. </p>
<p>Funny story. A very close friend of mine had Penn as her first choice, but didn't get in. Michigan was her second choice, and she got in and enrolled. But she held onto her dream of wanting to go to Penn, and she transferred out after freshmen yr to Penn. After just one semester, she was so unhappy that she transferred back to Michigan and went on to graduate from Michigan! Pretty wild story, imo. Wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen her go through this rollercoaster ride in person. (I also know someone who did this exact same thing but w/ Williams and Columbia.)</p>
<p>My sister was accepted to both ross direct admit and penn-wharton freshman year. She ended up going to wharton and loves it there. She is currently a junior and has had a great time on campus and loves west philly even though it can be somewhat ghetto in places. Penn has a lot going on whether it be guest speakers, movie screenings (which happen a lot at penn), or other cultural activities. I do believe the atmosphere at Penn is going to be more intellectual than Michigan simply because it is a smaller student body with a smaller range of individuals. It is harder to get into than Michigan and therefore the level of intellect is just a bit higher all around. If you like that atmosphere and people than I'm sure Penn would be a great place to end up. Anyways, my sister loves it and has gotten involved in things shes interested in (newspaper, RA, internships, etc.) At either school, if you find things you're interested in you're sure to have a great time.</p>
<p>As for athletics, I know basketball is big at Penn but going to the homecoming football game was just depressing. Watching barely 6000 people fill one section of a stadium that once hosted the eagles is a little embarrasing.</p>
<p>how much fun you have in college is up to you. Going to Michigan will not mean u will have a better time. It's important for you to goto the best school academically, if money is not important.
and you yourself can be the judge of who is more mature, someone who picks a school based on academics or someone who picks a school based on football game attendence/better parties.</p>
<p>Alexandre, I received $15,000 in grants from Penn and zero from Michigan, being out of state. Do you think that with the $60,000+ higher cost of Michigan in the long run that you would still be able to recommend it over Penn? I psyched myself up to go to Michigan mainly because I was accepted back in December and I was convinced that I wasn't going to get in anywhere else that cost less. I began to witness the sweeping positive qualities of Michigan, including a lot of boasts about it being the perfect university to go to receive the full college experience. However, Penn's grant is looking mighty tempting.</p>
<p>This is certainly a big decision for me, as it obviously affects a good chunk of my next few years.</p>
<p>money is not really a problem.. however i really love both places and am completely confused. damn this is tough</p>
<p>basically this is what it comes down to
if you want to be around more normal, down-to-earth people who don't have the inherent cockiness of attending an ivy league school, go to umich</p>
<p>if you dont, and what the same caliber education, go to penn</p>
<p>RU KIDDING, don't feed this kid crap</p>
<p>first of all, anyone who turns down Penn for michigan for the full college experience is full of it, u can get that experience at penn</p>
<p>second, to go into debt for Michigan by turning down Penn could be the dumbest MOVE IN UR LIFE</p>
<p>at my high school, all of the ivy rejects, and all of the top 15 school rejects are goin to Michigan, i wonder why....</p>
<p>guapocarlos - this is the first year that Michigan has had a direct admit program for Ross. It's just not possible that your sister could have been accepted into Ross as a freshman 3 years ago.</p>
<p>Be careful Daestivan, Michigan is not close to being perfect. Money is obviously not a huge issue in your decision, with Penn costing you $30,000 and Michigan $38,000. But over 4 years, that's $30,000+ and it is no small sum either. You can buy a decent car with that money...or pay for one year of graduate school. Unless you hate Penn and love Michigan, I'd say Penn may be the wiser choice. but not for the reason BBall expresses. His school may be blinded by the Ivies, but trust me, many students at Michigan forego to Ivies for an opportunity to attend Michigan at full price (OOS tuition).</p>
<p>Collegeguy, you really should visit both campuses and then decide. If you like both campuses the same and you feel like you MUST go to Penn, go for it. Penn is an awesome university. If you much prefer Michigan to Penn however, I would truly recommend you come to Michigan because in the long term, you will grow to understand Michigan's place in this world...andlet me tell you, it is surprisingly lofty.</p>
<p>"guapocarlos - this is the first year that Michigan has had a direct admit program for Ross. It's just not possible that your sister could have been accepted into Ross as a freshman 3 years ago."</p>
<p>^^^^^^^^^
You are correct, my mistake. She got offered honors program not direct admit. She had planned to do Ross business as an undergraduate though which I know was a big deal because she did want an undergraduate business program. Anyways Michigan wasn't very high on her list, although I would have liked it to have been. She also got in undergrad with money to UNC, Northwestern, UVA, and Michigan. Anyways, everything I said about wharton and the penn campus should be accurate as I know shes had a great 3 years there.</p>
<p>Also I believe Penn is up to 48k This year making that 33k dollars which is close to michigan cost.</p>
<p>NYao, I really don't see how you can get off saying that someone who chooses schools purely on academics is more "mature" than someone who goes on overall experience. I would probably call that person narrow-minded before mature. There is certainly a college experience to be had at any school, but Penn's and Michigan's are so different. Michigan is in a lively college town, Penn is in a big city. Michigan is a stellar sports school...Penn has sports too I guess...Michigan is large and has students from tons of different backgrounds, Penn is an ivy league school, and attracts ivy-type students (associate what you will with that designation). The academic programs are probably the only real similarity in these schools. I disagree with NYao. This decision shouldn't be wholeheartedly academic in nature. And trust me, if it was, you would have a much harder decision on your hands, because the similarities end at academics.</p>
<p>I agree. University should be as as much about studying as it is about personal growth and development. Academically, Michigan and Penn are comparable. Like it or not, the Peer assessment score says they are equal, and professional and graduate school placement, although they favor Penn, aren't too different. I think Penn is 11th and Michigan 18th in the WSJ graduate placement rank and in terms of professional placement, they are very similar too. What separates any top university from another is environment and personal preference.</p>
<p>i have been a michigan fan my entire life because my grandfather and uncle went there and am possibly being blinded by this.</p>
<p>Here are my thoughts on both colleges.</p>
<p>Michigan: Ann Arbor is the ideal college town. The sports and atmosphere seem amazing and all of the kids are down to earth but clearly very smart.</p>
<p>Penn: In a city so I am provided with many opportunities. Penn still has a pretty lively campus life as well. Sports are barely existent but I know everyone there is very smart. I will be closer to home. It can't hurt to be in the Ivy League. </p>
<p>Tell me what you guys think</p>
<p>That sounds about right.</p>